Heavy on bluster, low on facts
Source: PBS, 6/1/2011
ASP Fellow Joshua Foust is a guest author.
By Joshua Foust
As Congress seeks new ways to cut the federal budget in the face of looming deficits, some have zeroed in on a particular program run by the military: the Pentagon’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, a relatively new organization with the Department of Defense meant to fight insurgencies through economic development. The Washington Post reported that this agency was slated to be defunded and moved from the DoD to the U.S. Agency for International Development; supporters have argued, however, that it is the only agency capable of spurring economic growth in both war zones, so it should be kept right where it is.
I’ve been studying the TFBSO, as it’s known, for several months, trying to piece together its activities and accomplishments. While no one would argue with the need to promote private sector business development in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is difficult to discern if the task force has a central role to play in either war or in the monumental task of rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Task Force for Business and Stability Operations was originally created in 2006 to spur business development in Iraq. It was based on the assumption that a collapsed economy and a lack of jobs were aiding the insurgency. The thinking was that if the U.S. could create jobs and bring about some measure of economic development then the insurgency would have a harder time recruiting members. This way of thinking has since taken hold in Afghanistan, where the task force tries to attract foreign direct investment, create jobs and develop Afghanistan’s economy.
To its credit, the task force has performed some tasks that are essential to the rebuilding of Iraq…
